The invention relates generally to the field of gaming, and particularly to the field of sports gaming.
Wagering on sports is a multi-billion dollar business. Casinos, for example, have large sports and event betting parlors for attracting bettors. These parlors display the bets that a person may make on various sporting events. Bets are placed on most major sports including professional and college football, soccer, baseball, basketball, auto racing, and ice hockey, as well as cricket and rugby. Bets are placed on various sports tournaments, including the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships and World Cup Soccer.
While wagering on sports is popular, there are not as many sports bettors as bettors in other forms of gaming. One reason is that sports wagering is perceived as requiring detailed or special knowledge. Another reason is the suspicion that sports betting is susceptible to cheating. Indeed, nearly a century after the infamous “Black Sox” scandal of 1919, the negative link between sports wagering and game integrity remains a top concern for sports leagues. It is envisioned that the issue of game integrity in light of sports wagering will receive enhanced scrutiny as sports wagering operations expand throughout the United States. For these reasons and others, the business of providing sports wagering can be extremely financially risky, particularly during big games, with a relatively low return compared to the total amount wagered (the “handle”). Given the risks, ensuring the security and integrity in gaming is of critical importance.
Game security has been the subject of many previous patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,764,821; 2,961,777; 2,986,820; 3,055,117; 3,508,344; 2,210,879; 3,823,022; 2,410,800; 3,877,155. While these patents have increased the security of gaming by producing acceptable solutions to problems encountered, they have not provided the answer to more sophisticated methods of compromise and collusion in every form of gaming, particularly sports betting.
Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming systems, methods and devices which require no prior knowledge and reduce operator and player risk by employing features that provide greater game security and integrity.